Some people spend years searching for a purpose in life. Others find theirs early on. Joe Rosales discovered his while he was a student at Cherry Creek High School in the early 2000s.
“My first job was at High Plains Elementary in the Before and Aftercare program,” he explained. “I fell in love with working with kids and just kind of stuck with it.”
Rosales attended Walnut Hills Elementary and Campus Middle School before going on to CCHS, where his mother worked for many years. After graduating in 2004, he followed his passion to the University of Northern Colorado to study human communication, something for which he was well-prepared.
“My time at Creek gave me all the tools necessary to become a strong communicator,” Rosales said. After college, he put his communication skills into action to benefit children, working as a camp staffer and recreation center site manager for South Suburban Parks and Recreation.
In 2009, he became a data analyst and test administrator in the English Language Acquisition or ELA program in the Cherry Creek School District. Five years later, he joined the security team at Cherry Creek High School. He said returning to Creek was like coming home.
“I remember when I was in high school, how close I was to some of the security guards and how much of a mentorship that felt like,” he recalled. “I wanted to carry that on.”
He immediately began building rapport and relationships with the school’s 3,600+ students.
“I care about these kids. I want to see them succeed,” Rosales said. “I hope to provide a sense of safety to all the students, and be somebody they can trust and come to if they have a situation.”
In addition to loving kids, Rosales loves baseball.
“I’m a baseball kid through and through,” he said.
He grew up playing ball, and his middle school teammates game him the nickname “Joe Ro,” which has stuck with him ever since. In high school, he was a center fielder for the Bruins. He considers baseball a brotherhood, so it’s not surprising that he joined the CCHS baseball coaching staff some 14 years ago.
“It’s a lot of fun teaching these kids how to deal with the difficulty of the sport and just overcome the toughness of it,” he said. However, teaching kids to be great ball players is not his highest priority.
“I hope that they take away being better people,” Rosales said. “Coach Marc Johnson has always instilled in us as players and as coaches that we’re not out here just to win – that’s just a byproduct of the attitude and effort that we show.
“If we can make these young men the best versions of themselves, it’ll make them better husbands, fathers, and so on and so forth,” he added. “That’s what it’s really all about.”
Rosales’ players and their parents say his commitment to kids is extraordinary. For example, he provided transportation for one player who didn’t have a ride to and from summer club practices and games. He helped another player deal with the tragic loss of his father.
Because Rosales so often goes above and beyond for the students he serves, he was named a 2024 Cherry Creek Schools All Star and will be celebrated at the district’s annual All Star Awards event, which honors exceptional classified employees.
Rosales said it is an honor to be recognized, but gives credit to the security team he works with.
“They’ve become my second family. I see them every day,” he said. “They are the backbone of this being such a great working environment.”
He adds that working with the students at Cherry Creek High School is all he could ask for.
“Helping them become the best version of themselves and watching that come to fruition is the ultimate reward.”
Congratulations to CCSD All Star and Alumni in Action Joseph Rosales!
Posted 2/2/0/2024.
